Habitat and ecology: Introduced from Europe. Often planted in gardens, from where it frequently escapes into partially shaded waste ground, open woods, vacant lots of our suburban towns, roadsides, and a variety of other places. In late May and June, colonies of blooming plants are quite conspicuous. Once established it can become very persistent.

Occurence in the Chicago region: non-native

Etymology: Hesperis comes from the Greek word hesperos, meaning "the evening," which refers to the plant's fragrance at that time of day. Matronalis refers to the Roman festival of the matrons, which was celebrated on March 1st.

This species has long been used and is still commonly planted as an ornamental plant. It was never reported, however, by our early authors. The first report is that of Grimes in 1910. Nieuwland, in 1915, reported it as escaped along the bank of the St. Joseph River in St. Joseph County. In 1921 I found it to be frequent in a wooded ravine about a half mile west of Aurora in Dearborn County. In 1933 I found it to be a common and abundant weed along the roadside and in an adjacent, fallow field just west of Aurora. Naomi Mullendore has collected it in Johnson County.